David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.

24 February 2010

CENTRAL Melbourne came to a standstill yesterday as more than 10,000 musicians and music fans hit the streets in support of the city's live music scene.

In one of the biggest public gatherings over an arts issue, the crowd sent a loud message to the state government about the liquor licensing regulations that have resulted in the closure of venues and forced others to turn off live music. ...

In a fine bit of coincidence, a new exhibition MELBOURNE ⪥ BRISBANE: punk, art and after by guest curator David Pestorius opens today at the Ian Potter Museum of Art at Melbourne University.

Read about ithere : David Pestorius Projectshere : Dive for your memory, Karl Quinn, THE AGE

There are some connections between yesterday's march and this exhibition. Primitive Calculators (below) performed last year, for the first time in 29 years, at The Tote. It was the closure of this legendary Collingwood venue, as a consequence of sledge hammer government legislation, that triggered yesterday's mass action.

In the late 70s and early 80s Primitive Calculators were an important part of Melbourne's diverse energetic music scene. They were one of the core groups (along with Whirlywirld and Use No Hooks) out of which and around which The Little Bands formed.

Alan Bamford presented a music program at 3RRR back then. During the week he would record gigs, at venues similar to The Tote, then play them to his radio audience within the week.

Here's Alan at The Tote in 2009 with a copy of the Primitive Calculators album he recorded in 1979 at Hearts, North Carlton, when they were supporting The Boys Next Door.

For this exhibition, he has remastered the Little Bands tapes and produced a compilation. Also, gathered together an archive of things from that time.

There were connections galore between the musicians and visual artists. Here's one between Nick Cave and Jenny Watson.

21 February 2010

After much discussion about yesterday's post, today two young performers from The Theatre of the Actors of Looking respond with a series of tableaux vivant, a play : "In reality, ...".

Staged upon a cube, he plays Ideal Man, she Ideal Woman. They each seek Ideal Other. In addition, each carries an Instrument of the Passion, on this occasion an accordion telescope. Allegorically, this represents the possibility of other sight. Physically, it can be long or short or any length between.

They perform the permutations. By turns, they display to each other and they look at each other. So too with their Instruments, they show and they regard.

In the scene below, Ideal Woman gazes downward though her Instrument - she turns it to enlarge - at the broad end of the fully extended, vertically displayed Instrument of Ideal Man.

(Thanks to Whaley's Card Depot for sponsoring this event at such short notice.)

detail A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/someone looks at something ...

LOGOS/HA HA

20 February 2010

In the Review supplement of the Weekend Australian, Christopher Allen, writes :

... In reality, newborn babies are neither beautiful nor ugly. Their parents don't love them because they are pretty, but because they are the mother and father of this touching, fragile, shapeless creature that has just survived a gruelling journey, perilous to mother and child, into the outside world.

But an image of a newborn the size of a small whale is conspicuously ugly. The very dimensions of the object negate its essential nature, and turn the small and the fragile into the monstrous.

The human body has a proper proportion, at which we respond to it as fully human: as Gulliver's Travels so memorably demonstrated, and as Mueck's models here amply confirm, the oversized is grotesque and the miniature is merely quaint.

But as already suggested, it is more than a matter of mere ugliness. ...

Christopher AllenLARGER THAN LIFERon MueckNational Gallery of Victoria until 18 April

Woman On Cube Seeks Ideal Man/Woman(3 versions)

Person(s) regardMan On Cube Seeks Ideal Man/Woman

Yesterday upon this squareI saw a babe who wasn't there...

detailA Person Looks At A Work Of Art/someone looks at something ...

LOGOS/HA HA

18 February 2010

THE body established to pay authors for the use of their copyright last year spent more on its own staff -- including more than $350,000 for a chief executive -- than it paid authors and artists directly.

The Copyright Agency Limited was formed in 1989 to raise money from institutions using copyrighted works, such as newspaper articles, photographs and book excerpts, to reward the creators of these works.

But the collection agency last year paid $9.4 million in salaries, compared with a $9.1m direct allocation for authors and artists.

17 February 2010

As well as the usual reportage of Actors of Regard,our French colleagues have proposed for 2010 that we introduce a Scenes from the Office segment: "...de mettre un visage humain sur le vide", as they put it. So, look forward to that. And, during winter, a Spot the Ball competition.